Category: Scriptures

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Ancient history Old Testament

What Is the Meaning of the Akedah in Genesis 22?

Silhouetted Abraham and Isaac walk up Mount Moriah at sunrise, Abraham carrying wood for the offering, in an oil-painted style evoking Genesis 22 and the Akedah.

The Akedah—Abraham’s near-sacrifice of Isaac in Genesis 22—has long been read as the Bible’s ultimate test of faith and obedience. The Hebrew word means “to tie up” or “to bind,” describing what Abraham does to Isaac in response to God’s command to kill his son. He sets out without telling Sarah, fully intending to murder his child, only for the Lord to intervene at the last moment with a critical message. Abraham’s trial of faith is so devastating that he never again speaks to Isaac, Sarah, or God. Philosophers and theologians have interpreted the story in strikingly different ways: Did God expect Abraham’s obedience—or yearn for his “pious irreverence”? In this interview, scholar Aaron Koller explores the history of interpreting the Akedah, examining what this haunting episode means for readers of faith.

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New Testament

Daily Cross, Eternal Family: Discipleship in the Gospel of Luke

A Jorge Cocco painting of Jesus calling to Zacchaeus in a tree, illustrating the theme of discipleship in the Gospel of Luke.
"Zacchaeus, I Will Dine With You," by Jorge Cocco. Used by permission.

Jesus presents a vision of discipleship in the Gospel of Luke that is simultaneously costly and rewarding. For example, it is here that Jesus asks the rich young ruler to forsake his possessions and tells followers to “hate” their families. Luke’s Gospel is also unique in its depiction of discipleship as a physical and spiritual walk with Jesus toward—and beyond—the cross. In this interview, New Testament scholar S. Kent Brown discusses the hard sayings of Jesus in Luke, concluding that discipleship requires total surrender, finds ultimate meaning in the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and empowers individuals to strengthen rather than forsake family relationships.

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Joseph Smith Old Testament Pearl of Great Price

What Does Genesis Really Say About Creation?

At its core, Genesis offers not one but two distinct creation accounts, each highlighting different aspects of humanity’s relationship with God. Far from being the straightforward words of Moses, the book reflects centuries of redaction and compilation—much like the Book of Mormon—woven from multiple voices and contexts. Along the way, readers encounter surprising details: skies imagined as a solid dome, humans formed from dirt, and Joseph Smith’s bold emendations of the Old Testament Hebrew text. In this interview, Avram R. Shannon explains how ancient context reshapes our understanding of Genesis, creation, and the faith-science conversation.

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Come Follow Me Old Testament Scriptures

How to Pick a Study Bible: Latter-day Saint Edition

An excerpt from the SBL Study Bible translation of Genesis 1, alongside four Study Bibles, illustrating how Latter-day Saints can benefit by learning about the Bible from experts rather than relying only on the archaic King James Version.

Study Bibles offer valuable insights that can help Latter-day Saints understand the scriptures, including the Old Testament. Church members can use reliable editions alongside the King James Version to better comprehend historical and doctrinal issues obscured by the 1611 text. The General Handbook allows for the use of study Bibles and includes a list of Bibles published or preferred by the Church to maintain clarity in discussions. In this interview, BYU scholar Joshua Sears evaluates leading study Bibles from a Latter-day Saint perspective, explains what to look for, and shares practical tips.

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19th Century Joseph Smith Pearl of Great Price

Why Did Joseph Smith Reject Creeds—Then Write the Articles of Faith?

An AI-generated oil painting of Joseph Smith drafting the Articles of Faith, probably not seeing them as creedal in nature.

Joseph Smith called religious creeds an “abomination.” He protested against self-appointed guardians of orthodoxy, rejoicing instead in the freedom to believe without constraints while recognizing the inherent doctrinal tension of ongoing revelation. However, the Articles of Faith have sometimes been mislabeled as a creed, leading some to wonder why the Prophet published the 13 verses eventually canonized in the Pearl of Great Price. In this interview, Terryl Givens explains that while creed-like summaries of belief are nearly impossible to avoid, the Articles of Faith omit key Latter-day Saint doctrines and were likely not seen by Joseph as a creed.

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Come Follow Me Doctrine and Covenants

Doctrine and Covenants: Joseph Smith, Theology, Polygamy, and More

A sketch of pioneer Kirtland where Joseph Smith received the majority of the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants.

The Doctrine and Covenants is considered part of the Latter-day Saint scriptural canon. The compilation of revelations given mainly to the Prophet Joseph Smith includes administrative guidelines, radical theology, and emotional letters. In this collection of scholarly and devotional insights, we provide context behind influential revelations such as D&C 6, D&C 76, D&C 88, D&C 89, D&C 93, D&C 121, and D&C 132.

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Book of Mormon Come Follow Me Doctrine and Covenants Joseph Smith

How Did the Joseph Smith Papers Project Influence the 2025 Scripture Updates?

A photo of someone reading D&C 106 on a tablet, illustrating the 2025 updates to Latter-day Saint scriptures such as the Doctrine and Covenants, Book of Mormon, and Study Helps.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints made several updates to its scriptures in 2025. Roughly half of the changes approved by the Scriptures Committee provide additional historical context, while the other half make minor factual adjustments to details like dates and places. This includes updates to “Study Helps” such as Doctrine and Covenants section headers and Book of Mormon chapter introductions. In this interview, scholar Matthew Godfrey introduces the scripture updates and illustrates how many of them were made possible by the Joseph Smith Papers Project.

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Doctrine and Covenants Theology

Redeeming the Dead: Themes in the Doctrine and Covenants

Baptismal font used for baptism for the dead, central to the Latter-day Saint doctrine of the redemption of the dead.

Redeeming the dead is central to Joseph Smith’s vision of uniting all humanity in a heavenly kinship. In Latter-day Saint practice, this doctrine is enacted through proxy ordinances—performed in temples—through which Christ’s gift of salvation is offered to every soul by linking the living with the departed. From Malachi’s prophecy in the Old Testament to Joseph F. Smith’s 1918 vision, scripture underscores that human connection is the heart of redemption. In this interview, Dr. Amy Harris shares insights from her contribution to the Maxwell Institute’s Themes in the Doctrine and Covenants book series.

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New Testament

What Language Did Jesus Speak? Aramaic and the Historical Jesus

Aramaic Jesus depicted in Jorge Cocco’s Sermon on the Mount painting, showing Christ teaching his followers
“Sermon on the Mount” by Jorge Cocco. Used by permission.

Jesus spoke Aramaic, the common language of Galilee in the first century. The Gospels preserve traces of this in words like Abba and ṭalîta’ qûmî, even though they were written in Greek. But the real significance goes beyond vocabulary: Aramaic-speaking circles that contributed to the accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John remembered Jesus in distinct ways. For example, Peter’s circle emphasized forgiveness, that of Mary Magdalene focused on purity, and so on. Together, they form overlapping but distinct “streams of tradition” in the Gospels, revealing that no single community preserved the whole picture of Jesus. In this interview, Bruce Chilton discusses his book Aramaic Jesus and what it reveals about the language Jesus spoke, memory, and the earliest church.

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Categories
Book of Mormon Latter-day Saint History

What Does the Book of Mormon Teach About Race?

Illustration of Nephites and Lamanites dividing in the Book of Mormon (2 Nephi 5:21), symbolizing the racial curse with light and shadow.

The Book of Mormon teaches that race is not fixed, but tied to stories of lineage, faith, and covenant. Early Latter-day Saints used these narratives to explain human differences, sometimes in ways that reinforced exclusion and other times in ways that promised transformation. Jane Manning James’s remarkable life—captured in her statement, “I am white except for the color of my skin”—shows both the possibilities and the painful contradictions of this theology. Remembering how racial origins were narrated, forgotten, and internalized sheds light on the legacy of whiteness in Mormon thought. In this interview, Max Perry Mueller discusses themes from his book, Race and the Making of the Mormon People.

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